CLEVELAND — Manager Pedro Grifol believed Yoán Moncada was scratching the surface of having a big season.
The Chicago White Sox third baseman’s 2024 took a dramatic turn for the worse when he suffered a left adductor strain during Tuesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.
Wednesday, he learned he would be out an estimated three to six months as the Sox placed him on the 10-day injured list.
“It’s the first time I’m going to be out for that amount of time in my career,” Moncada said through an interpreter Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field. “I’ve never been out for that long.
“It is frustrating because of the work I put in, but even if your body doesn’t feel right you need to be mentally strong.”
The injury occurred in the second inning Tuesday. Running to first base after hitting a grounder to third, Moncada fell in pain before reaching the base. The training staff and Grifol immediately checked on him.
“It felt like something broke,” Moncada said. “Honestly that was the worst pain I’ve felt in my career.”
It was the latest blow to a team off to a 2-9 start. The Sox were already without Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jiménez because of injuries.
“There’s just no way to think that’s going to happen or to even envision something like that to happen,” Grifol said. “It’s not because it can’t happen. It’s just the work they put in.
“It’s just unfortunate. It’s just part of the game, I guess. These guys are big-time athletes, they’re strong, physical, they run fast. It’s just one of those things, man, you can’t explain it.”
Before Tuesday’s game, Grifol said Moncada had been dealing with a “nagging hip, adductor type” issue, and that he “had it off and on a little bit.”
“I was dealing with discomfort in the same leg but not in that specific area,” Moncada said. “It was close.”
He said it had been bugging him for just a couple of days.
Moncada came into the season looking for the consistency he showed throughout 2019. He signed a five-year, $70 million extension in March 2020 — a deal in which the Sox hold an option for $25 million in 2025 with a $5 million buyout.
Limited to 92 games in 2023 because of back-related issues, Moncada is 11-for-39 (.282) with three doubles in 11 games this season.
“He had played really good baseball so far on both sides of the ball and was doing a really good job on the bases, too,” Grifol said. “We talked about it this offseason, he was doing a really good job in all facets of the game.
“He smelled that base hit yesterday, trying to beat it out and unfortunately that’s the way it happened.”
Lenyn Sosa moved from second base to third in the bottom of the second inning of Tuesday’s game while Nicky Lopez entered to play second and bat in Moncada’s spot in the lineup.
Sosa started at third base Wednesday and Grifol mentioned Braden Shewmake and Lopez among the options at the position.
“If you have your mindset and you have your plan, nothing changes,” Sosa said through an interpreter when asked about attempting to have a patient approach at the plate with teammates sidelined.
Moncada has been slotted in the No. 2 spot in the team’s lineup. They have recently been playing without the No. 3 hitter Robert — who suffered a right hip flexor strain Friday at Kansas City and was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday — and the No. 4 hitter Jiménez — who suffered a left adductor strain during a March 31 game against the Detroit Tigers and went on the injured list Friday (retroactive to April 2).
“It sucks,” said outfielder Dominic Fletcher, who had the go-ahead hit — a two-run double — in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s 7-5 victory. “You hate to see guys go down, with Eloy and Robert as well, that’s a lot of good hitters who are missing. Guys have to step up and play hard.”
Jiménez is 2-for-11 (.182) in three games while Robert is 6-for-28 (.214) with two doubles, two home runs and four RBIs in seven games.
And now the Sox are facing another challenge.
“It was painful for me to watch,” Grifol said. “He was obviously in a lot of pain. It’s just sad to see these guys go down after putting in so much work in the offseason and spring training and putting themselves in a good spot where they can go out and have a really good year.”
In Wednesday’s corresponding move, the Sox recalled outfielder Oscar Colás from Triple-A Charlotte. He hit .216 with five home runs and 19 RBIs in 75 games with the Sox last season.
Colás is 9-for-28 (.321) with one home run and four RBIs in eight games with Charlotte this season.
“He’s been swinging the bat well,” Grifol said. “I talked to (Charlotte manager Justin) Jirschele today, he’s doing everything right. His attitude has been really good, he’s been fundamentally sound, I’m just looking for him to play baseball the way we asked him to play it last year.
“And he’s been committed to doing that, he had a really good spring in that regard and he had a really good start to the Triple-A season. He’s done everything right, according to our coaches there. I was happy to hear that news and now it’s his time to shine.”
Sox fall in 10 innings
The Sox saw a five-run lead slip away in a 7-6 loss to the Guardians in 10 innings on Wednesday at Progressive Field.
Gavin Sheets had two doubles, a three-run home run and five RBIs for the Sox, who dropped two of three in the series.
Sheets had an RBI double in the first and the three-run homer in the third, helping the Sox take a 5-0 lead. But the Guardians fought back and the game was tied at 5 after six innings.
“In reality, this game’s on me,” Sox starter Erick Fedde said. “When they give us a 5-0 lead, I can’t let them back in the game. Got to finish strong, that’s expected, I expect that of myself.”
Fedde allowed four earned runs on four hits — including home runs to brothers Josh Naylor (solo) and Bo Naylor (two-run), and Steven Kwan (solo) — with three walks and three strikeouts in five-plus innings.
The Sox had leadoff doubles in the eighth and ninth but failed to score. They had runners on the corners and no outs in the ninth, but Robbie Grossman hit a sharp grounder to shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who stepped on second and threw to first for a double play with the runner remaining at third.
“Infield in, can’t make the first out at home,” said Paul DeJong, who was on third. “It was going to be a see-it-through type situation, kind of hit it right at him. I wasn’t able to get much of a secondary, because I didn’t want to get doubled up at third by a line drive.
“In a tough spot there and the shortstop made a good play, off the bat I couldn’t quite tell which direction it was from him. It was a tough read and unfortunately we weren’t able to capitalize there.”
The Sox went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
Sheets had his second RBI double in the 10th. But Josh Naylor tied it with an RBI double and three batters later Bo Naylor won it with an RBI single against Bryan Shaw.
At 2-10, the Sox are off to their worst start through 12 games since 1986 (also 2-10).
